Latest Blog Posts

Baltimore’s the Bridge released their fifth studio album, National Bohemian, 1 February 2011 on Woodberry Records/Thirty Tigers. The album is an Americana stew of blues, rock, funk, soul and jam, seasoned with a dash of Cajun spice. National Bohemian is a spirited release that road trips across the U.S., trucking day and night through mountains of emotions and sunny pastures of optimism. Check out the video of “Rosie” off National Bohemian.

The Bridge is currently on tour supporting Tea Leaf Green, then Galactic, followed by a string of headlining U.S. dates.

Two decades ago, dance music visionary Carl Craig helped marshal in the second wave of Detroit techno by launching the leftfield-leaning label Planet E. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the imprint, Craig is set to release on 22 February a Planet E “best of” digital compilation entitled 20 F@#&ING Years - We Ain’t Dead. The 25-track project will include electronic music classics like Moodymann’s “Dem Young Sconies” and Innerzone Orchestra’s “Bug in the Bassbin”, along with next-generation mindbenders like Recloose’s “Can’t Take It [ft. Dwele]” and a previously unreleased remix by Craig of Kenny Larkin’s “You Are”.

And in conjunction with the digital release, Craig will be hosting on his website craigcarl.net a competition for fans to vote on tracks that should be pressed onto a limited edition Planet E vinyl box set.

Finally, starting in March Planet E will also began releasing singles from its back catalogue, which will chosen and remixed by, among others, Ricardo Villalobos, Richie Hawtin, Kevin Saunderson and Mad Mike Banks. First up will be a Luciano remix of Recloose’s “Can’t Take It”.

The tracklisting for the compilation and the dates for Craig’s Planet E tour are listed below.

Forget about the cheery presence of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer” in The Karate Kid. Is not this a goth song incognito? There is undoubtedly a distinct sense of isolation, alienation and melancholy in it, and the lyrics betray as much. But it’s mainly viewed as a happy, perfunctory, feel-good summertime song. For instance, one is easily tempted to hear “cool” instead of “cruel” in the song’s refrain. This track is begging for a certain band—Marilyn Manson—to cover it. After all, Manson’s most peculiar cover of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” essentially put Manson on the radar. Marilyn Manson has previously covered Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” and, of course, Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” with considerable success. Why not cover another esteemed 1980s song?

Happy Valentine’s Day, Radiohead fans! Earlier today, the band made the surprise announcement that they’ll be releasing their eighth studio album, The King of Limbs, and it will be available as a digital download on Saturday, Feb. 19. Yes, that’s in five days!

But unlike the band’s last album, 2007’s In Rainbows, the digital release of King of Limbs will have a set price. An MP3 version of the album will cost $9 and a CD-quality WAV version will go for $14.

Radiohead also plans to offer up this spring a so-called “newspaper album” edition of The Kings of Limbs, which will consist of two 10-inch vinyl LPs and a CD, along with “many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-color piece of oxo-degradable plastic to hold it all together”. This deluxe edition of the release will cost either $48 (which will also include the MP3 digital files) or $53 (for the WAV files), and will ship on May 9.

According to Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, “standard CD and vinyl versions of the album will be made available March 28 in retail outlets through a partnership with XL Recordings.”

Arcade Fire may be the first indie act to win a Grammy for Album of the Year, but they may have company next year: titans of this new millennium (and fellow indie act since the self-release of 2007’s In Rainbows) Radiohead gave the world a Valentine’s Day surprise this morning. The UK group announced the release of their eighth studio album, The King of Limbs, set to drop digitally this Saturday and in physical form May 9th.

Thom Yorke and co. are calling The King of Limbs the world’s first “newspaper album”, which apparently has something to do with the amazing packaging that buyers of the physical release will find. The band’s website says the record will include:

Two clear 10” vinyl records in a purpose-built record sleeve.

A compact disc.

Many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together.

The Newspaper Album comes with a digital download that is compatible with all good digital media players.

One lucky owner of the digital version of The King of Limbs, purchased from this website, will receive a signed two-track 12” vinyl.

The King of Limbs as available for digital and physical pre-order now. Get in line to buy here.